Battleground: Analysts disagree on outlook for StratasysTwo research firms issued ratings changes on 3D printer maker Stratasys (SSYS) this morning, with UBS downgrading the stock to Sell and Piper Jaffray upgrading the stock to Buy. The firms' notes come the day after the company reported much weaker than expected third quarter results and withdrew its full-year guidance, citing uncertainty regarding the timing of a rebound in its growth. BEARISH TAKE: The "rapid deceleration" in the growth of the 3D printing market appears to be "more than temporary," UBS analyst Steven Milunovich wrote in a note to investors today. More specifically, he believes the growth of revenue that the companies can easily obtain, mostly in prototyping, is declining. It may take more time and money than investors anticipate for 3D printing companies to benefit from the next wave of growth, i.e. advanced end-use parts, the analyst warned. Milunovich, who is skeptical about whether Stratasys will be able to meet its revenue growth target over the next 12-18 months, slashed his price target on the stock to $22 from $39. BULLISH TAKE: The longer term outlook for the 3D printing market remains strong, Piper Jaffray analyst Troy Jensen wrote in a note to investors today. Although media hype about 3D printing has been overdone and the industry increased its capacity too quickly, the sector will "return to normalized growth rates" next year, predicted Jensen. Moreover, Stratasys will grow faster than the market in 2016, given its strong upcoming products, Jensen believes. However, he trimmed his price target on the stock to $39 from $42. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, Stratasys fell 4% to $31.38. Other stocks in the sector also dropped, with 3D Systems (DDD) declining 2.7% to $13.47 and Materialise (MTLS) losing 1.5% to $8.85. However, 3D printer maker ExOne (XONE) rose 0.8% to $9.73. Voxeljet (VJET) shares were little changed.

Stratasys upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at Piper JaffrayPiper Jaffray analyst Troy Jensen upgraded Stratasys (DDD) to Overweight following yesterday's post-earnings pullback in shares. The 3D printing industry will return to more normalized grow rates in 2016 and Stratasys will grow faster than the market, Jensen tells investors in a research note. Despite lowering his near-term earnings and revenue assumptions, the analyst remains upbeat regarding the longer-term outlook for both the industry and the company. He lowered his price target for shares to $39 from $42. Stratasys closed yesterday down $3.82 to $32.67. Other names in the 3D printing space also dropped yesterday after Stratasys reported Q2 results and withdrew its 2015 outlook. The company's peers include 3D Systems (DDD) and voxeljet (VJET).

On The Fly: Top stock stories for ThursdayThe market began the session in negative territory following the release of second quarter GDP data below economists' estimates. Continuing this morning's slow start, the indexes churned in negative territory for the first half of the day before turning mixed near noon. The Dow and S&P generally lagged behind the Nasdaq, with the S&P narrowly edging into positive territory by session close. ECONOMIC EVENTS: In the U.S., gross domestic product was estimated to have grown at a 2.3% annualized rate in the second quarter, though expectations were for GDP growth of 2.7%. The government also upwardly revised its estimate of first quarter GDP growth to 0.6% from a prior estimate of 0.2% contraction in the period. Initial jobless claims rose 12,000 to 267,000 in the week ended July 25, which was a bit below the expected 270,000 first-time claims. COMPANY NEWS: Facebook (FB) reported earnings and revenues last night that topped expectations, but its shares slid $1.78, or 1.84%, to $95.21 as the social network's growth in daily averages users fell a bit short of the consensus forecast and may have missed the high, "whisper" expectations for its report... Shares of Whole Foods (WFM) sunk 11.61% to $36.08 and hit a 52-week low of $35.57 during the session after the company reported weaker than expected results and provided lower than expected profit guidance. Several analysts downgraded shares of the organic foods grocer in the wake of its quarterly report and outlook. MAJOR MOVERS: Among the notable gainers was T-Mobile (TMUS), which advanced $1.82, or 4.91%, to $38.86 after handily beating analyst estimates and raising its outlook for yearly net customer additions forecast. Also higher following their earnings reports were Mondelez (MDLZ) and WWE (WWE), gaining a respective 5.03% and 17.48%. Among the noteworthy losers was Stratasys (SSYS), which fell $3.82, or 10.47%, to $32.67 after the company rescinded its fiscal year guidance, citing a lack of visibility on growth in the market. The news built on continued fears of overcapacity in the sector, leading to session losses for numerous 3D printer stocks, including an 8.94% drop for peer 3D Systems (DDD). Also lower was Qorvo (QRVO), which declined $9.99, or 14.17%, to $60.49 after its second quarter guidance significantly trailed analyst estimates, after which the stock saw price target reductions from BMO and Brean. Additionally, LinnCo (LNCO) declined $1.83, or 29.33%, to $4.41 after parent company Linn Energy (LINE) announced plans to suspend dividends and reserve roughly $450M from annualized distributions, which saw Linn also slipping 26.32% to $4.76. INDEXES: The Dow fell 5.41, or 0.03%, to 17,745.98, the Nasdaq gained 17.05, or 0.33%, to 5,128.79, and the S&P 500 advanced 0.06, or 0.00%%, to 2,108.63.

Jefferies cuts price targets in 3D printing space after surveyAfter surveying 30 resellers in the 3D printing space, Jefferies analyst Jason North cut his price target for 3D Systems (DDD) to $14 from $22 and Stratasys (SSYS) to $50 from $60. A key investor discussion is when or if the industry will return to 20% growth, North writes in a research note. His survey indicates Q4 as the most likely time frame for Stratasys and later, if ever, for 3D Systems. The survey suggests weak Q2 results and a "muted" rebound in Q3, North tells investors. He prefers shares of Arcam (AMAVF) and Stratasys, both of which are Buy rated, to Hold-rated 3D Systems and Proto Labs (PRLB).